Quit Smoking

Many smokers make numerous attempts at quitting. This is due to the fact that smoking is not just a habit but also involves a physical and psychological addiction to nicotine. On average, smokers tend to try to stop smoking at least six times before they manage to quit. These repeated unsuccessful attempts often lead to disappointment and frustration, leaving smokers too discouraged to try again.

Whether a smoker achieves their goal of never smoking again is highly dependent on their motivation. The more determined you are, the better are your chances of quitting. There are many good reasons to stop, which may help you achieve your goal. The most well-known disadvantage of being a smoker is the increased risk of certain types of cancer, such as lung, bladder and larynx cancer. Smoking has a similarly bad impact on your heart and lung health and can lead to a heart attack, blood clots, lung disease and stroke.

For many smokers, the health risk is not the only problem associated with their habit. The financial side of being a smoker especially motivates many to quit. If you smoke a pack of cigarettes at a price of £10 everyday, you’ll be spending on average over £300 per month on cigarettes, which amounts to £3,650 per year. For many, this amount equals or exceeds their monthly salary.

If you have children or are planning to become a parent in the near future, you have a particularly good reason to give up smoking. Children whose parents smoke have a much higher risk of developing asthma during their childhood and smoking during pregnancy is known to put the baby at risk as it can lead to premature birth. According to a study conducted by the German university of Münster, a baby’s risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome is eight times higher if one or both parents are smokers.

The more determined you are to stop, the better. Behavioural therapy and contact with other smokers who are hoping to quit have been proven to be very helpful tools and increase your chances of stopping. You should think about why you would like to stop and be clear about your motivation and the advantages of being a non-smoker.

When you stop smoking, you’ll experience physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. If you think about situations in which you tend to crave a cigarette, you’ll probably notice a pattern. Knowing which situations trigger your cravings can help you avoid a relapse and develop a personal strategy for not smoking. During the first days of not smoking, ex-smokers tend to be irritable and impatient due to the lack of nicotine.

During the withdrawal period, you may find it difficult to concentrate and have trouble sleeping. Some smokers also experience headaches and minor tremors. Usually, these symptoms improve and cease to occur within a week of the last cigarette, however, the intensity and duration of these symptoms differ. The desire to smoke outlasts the physical withdrawal period, which is why some smokers relapse after several months of not smoking.

A nicotine replacement therapy can help to reduce withdrawal symptoms, although it will mean that nicotine is still entering your system. The dosage is calculated depending on how many cigarettes you used to smoke and the intake of nicotine is gradually reduced and phased out.

Some research suggests that the effectiveness of nicotine therapy has been overestimated in the past. Smokers who took part in a study of the IFT institute for research in Munich were not found to be any more likely to quit permanently when using nicotine products.

Some smokers find it helpful to be physically active while trying to stop smoking. There is evidence which suggests that sport can distract you from your addiction and also help to reduce cravings during the withdrawal period.

In a recent study conducted by the University of Exeter, smokers who had not consumed any nicotine for 15 hours reported a reduced desire to smoke after sport than physically inactive participants. The exact link between sport and smoking is unknown but experts believe that the release of dopamine during exercise has a positive impact. In addition, sport helps prevent the weight-gain some smokers experience after giving up.

Zyban

Zyban is a medication that helps to minimise smoking withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It works by affecting the part of your brain associated with addiction and cravings. Zyban is effective in minimising the enjoyment of smoking if you smoke during treatment. It was originally used to treat depression. Zyban contains the active ingredient bupropion hydrochloride.

Cytisine

Cytisine has recently been released in the UK for quitting smoking and is available as a prescription medication. The brand name and active ingredient are the same: Cytisine. This medication works like Champix, reducing the urge to smoke by attaching itself to the receptors in the brain that nicotine usually would.

Cytisine is taken as a 25-day course on the first day you quit. Each Cytisine tablet contains 1.5 mg and each pack contains 100 tablets, which makes a complete treatment course. You’ll follow a treatment plan while taking Cytisine, which means slowly decreasing the amount of tablets you take. On days 1 to 3, you’ll take up to 6 tablets a day, with 2 hours between doses. By the time you get to the final few days, you’ll be taking 1 or 2 tablets a day. This can reduce the cravings and urges that you usually get, making it easier to quit for good.

Champix

Champix is currently out of stock long-term. Consider Zyban or Cytisine treatment instead.

Champix contains the active ingredient Varenicline and is free from nicotine. When you smoke a cigarette, areas of the brain are stimulated by nicotine, which releases dopamine. This leads to a feeling of well-being and relaxation, which smokers enjoy.

Champix occupies these receptors and prevents the intake of nicotine, as well as its effect. At the same time, Varenicline reduces withdrawal symptoms and minimises the cravings. It helps smokers to stop consuming nicotine and makes it easier to stop smoking permanently.

According to a study carried out by the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, Champix increases your chances of quitting significantly. 23% of the participants of the study who were taking Champix were still non-smokers 40 weeks after their last cigarette. In comparison, only 9% of participants who were given a placebo had managed not to relapse.

If you decide to complete our online-assessment, you’ll need to fill in a short questionnaire. Our online doctor will use your answers to determine whether treatment is suitable for you. ZAVA can provide a prescription, which we can either send to you or an online pharmacy.

Nicotine replacement products are cheaper but also less effective. In the long run, investing in a therapy with Zyban or Cytisine will prove cheaper than sustaining a habit of smoking.

Avoiding situations that you associate with smoking can be helpful. For example, drinking alcohol, being in stressful situations, or being around other people who are smoking can set off cravings to smoke. If you’re able to avoid these situations you’re less likely to relapse.

Whether Zyban, Cytisine, or a different therapy is best for you depends on how long you have been smoking and how many cigarettes you tend to smoke in a day. Your age is also relevant, as many nicotine products are not suitable for teenagers.

Every smoker has to find his or her own strategy for giving up. In general, self-help groups and stopping smoking with friends have been found to be very helpful. Avoid situations in which you usually smoke and integrate new activities in your daily routine to distract yourself from thinking about having a cigarette. This will help you break your habit and previous patterns of behaviour.

Some smokers find acupuncture and hypnosis helpful but the usefulness of these methods has not been proven scientifically.

When you stop smoking, you’ll notice some withdrawal symptoms. In addition, most types of medication designed to aid smokers can also cause side effects.

Common side effects when using nicotine replacement tablets or plasters are light-headedness, headaches, dryness of the mouth, hiccups, bloatedness, and nausea.

Smokers who choose a therapy with Zyban, Cytisine, or Champix often experience headaches, insomnia, unusual dreams, nausea, an increased appetite, being sick, dry mouth, feeling drowsy, tiredness, dizziness, constipation, diarrhoea and stomach pains.

You may notice changes in your sense of taste and feel unusually full after a meal. It’s difficult to tell withdrawal symptoms and side effects apart and some of the side effects listed may in fact be withdrawal symptoms (which can also affect individuals giving up smoking without treatment).